Cyberattacks: 2022 to set a new record for ransomware attacks

According to WatchGuard, the number of ransomware attacks in Q1 2022 is already twice as high as that of the entire year 2021.

During the same period, the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region was the target of 57% of malware attacks. The North, Central and South America (AMER) and Asia Pacific (APAC) regions accounted for 22% and 21% of attacks, respectively.

Another important fact is that a new cybergang called LAPSUS$ is surfacing after the dismantling of the REvil gang. The WatchGuard Threat Lab study also revealed:

• The entry of Log4Shell (Apache Log4j2 vulnerability) into the top 10 network attacks. Compared to the last quarter of 2021, this vulnerability has nearly tripled in Q1 2022.
• Emotet is gaining ground. The Trojan horse accounts for 30% of the top 10 detected malware. The latter has particularly targeted Japan and the United States.
• PowerShell scripts increased by 38% in Q1 2022. This type of script represents 88% of the malware detected on endpoints.
• Cryptomining operations are increasingly becoming the target of malware.